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In 2001, Mark D. Musick tried to set up a joint Algebra 1 exam among 12 member states of the Southern Regional Education Board, over which he then presided. It failed.

鈥淲hat quickly became apparent was that by the time SREB convened the meeting, states were in different places鈥� on Algebra 1 courses and exams, said Donna Watts, Maryland鈥檚 mathematics coordinator.

In contrast, she points to a collaboration emerging from the American Diploma Project, a coalition of 29 states that are working to align high school standards, curricula, assessments, and accountability systems with the demands of college and work. From the beginning of the American Diploma Project in 2005, Ms. Watts said, a common goal was to add Algebra 2 to the list of high school graduation requirements and ensure the course was sufficiently challenging by devising an end-of-course exam for the subject.

Now, nine of those 29 states鈥擜rkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island鈥攈ave settled on giving the same assessment. The announcement comes as policymakers and educators across the country are looking at ways of addressing students鈥� weak or declining performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress and in college, despite the increasing numbers of high schoolers who score well on state tests and take high-level courses. (鈥淪tudents Taking More Demanding Courses,鈥� Feb. 28, 2007.)

鈥淚t may just be a timing issue,鈥� said Lisa Gross, a spokeswoman for the Kentucky education department. 鈥淣ow is the time that states are looking at high school offerings.鈥�

New England Accord

Also spurring such initiatives are the increasing calls of many policymakers and business leaders and some educators to adopt national academic standards.

鈥淭he [Algebra 2] test represents a promising new model for multistate reform efforts at a time when the overall lackluster achievement of high school students has fueled debates about the creation of national standards and extending No Child Left Behind Act to high schools,鈥� said a statement released earlier this month by Achieve, the Washington-based education policy group that supports the American Diploma Project.

This venture may be larger, but it is not the first testing collaboration among states.

In fall 2005, three New England states鈥擭ew Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont鈥攖eamed up on reading and mathematics assessments for grades 3-8 and writing assessments for grades 5 and 8. The testing agreement grew out of a collaboration by state schools chiefs in the region鈥攆inanced by grants from the U.S. Department of Education鈥攖o address the requirements of the NCLB law.

鈥淚t鈥檚 absolutely the most positive thing I can ever imagine,鈥� Todd Flaherty, a deputy commissioner of education in Rhode Island, said of the agreement, which is known as the New England Common Assessment Program. He characterized the enterprise as a 鈥渢remendous way鈥� to work with other states on setting expectations for students.

The exams, which are based on common grade-level expectations fashioned by the states, are given during a single testing window in the fall. Next month, states will administer a pilot test for science in grades 4, 8, and 11, with the hope of rolling out those tests in May of next year.

Carrie Parker, a research scientist with the Education Development Center, a nonprofit research group based in Newton, Mass., who worked with the states on the common assessments, said the fact that the states had relatively similar expectations for students helped the development of the tests.

Moreover, Ms. Parker said, the assessments are a 鈥渕uch better product than [the states] could have come up with on their own.鈥�

Michael Cohen, the president of Achieve, and others involved in the Algebra 2 effort also characterized the development of their test鈥檚 content as a 鈥渞emarkably smooth process鈥濃�攐nce policymakers were committed to the project. Achieve spent nearly a year establishing a common level of understanding among the state chiefs about the need for a rigorous end- of-course exam before bringing the state math specialists together to write the frameworks for the test, he said.

Such a level of commitment by education policymakers would have helped the SREB undertaking, said Ken James, Arkansas鈥� commissioner of education.

鈥淚 very much believe that [the SREB project didn鈥檛 work] because the chiefs weren鈥檛 involved in the discussion,鈥� he said.

The one complication in the latest project, those involved said, was juggling the states鈥� different testing schedules to determine the optimal number of versions and testing windows to offer.

Ohio procured the Algebra 2 exam from Pearson Educational Measurement, an assessment company based in Iowa City, Iowa, on behalf of the group of states. Under the agreement, Pearson will devise one online and five paper-and-pencil forms of the test for each school year鈥攊ncluding an optional seven sections for each version in such subject areas as trigonometry, data and statistics, and probability鈥攖o be given during two testing windows. Each test will consist of two 45-minute segments.

According to officials from Achieve, the cost of the test will depend on the number of students who end up taking it each year, but should range from $15 to $25 per student. They estimate that more than 200,000 students will take the exam across the nine states when it is first administered in May 2008.

Several other states also have expressed interest in joining the nine states and buying tests from Pearson, according to Achieve, a step that will be possible under the company鈥檚 contract.

But, 鈥渓ike a lot of other things that start, people want to see how it will bear out鈥� before they commit to participating, Mr. James said.

Voluntary in Most Places

Observers also will be watching to see how states use the Algebra 2 test.

For example, beginning in the 2009-10 school year, Arkansas will require students to pass three end-of-course exams鈥攊n Algebra 1 and 2 and geometry鈥攖o receive a high school diploma, while the test will be voluntary in most of the other states.

Policymakers hope the voluntary nature of the test will guide discussions between administrators and teachers about course content and help educators monitor student progress. And if the test is taken before a student鈥檚 senior year, a poor score would highlight the areas the student needs to work on before going to college.

鈥淥ur intent is just for this to be a starting point鈥� for creating tests in other areas, said Mitchell D. Chester, Ohio鈥檚 assistant superintendent for policy and accountability.

Other states also hope that the Algebra 2 exam will be the beginning of more testing ventures between states.

鈥淲e鈥檙e looking at it as a large pilot for end-of-course exams,鈥� said Ms. Gross of Kentucky, which requires students to take, but not necessarily pass, exams in geometry and Algebra 1 and 2.

Education policymakers also hope that higher education institutions will use the exam, since college-placement tests often do not accurately align with what students learned in high school or are expected to learn in college, they say. Officials in some states hope that colleges will use it for placement or to determine whether students will be able to enroll in credit-bearing courses.

Wes Bruce, the director of assessment for the Indiana education department, said the placement issue could serve as an 鈥渁dditional incentive for students.鈥�

Achieve does not have a standard formula or recommendation for how states, districts, or schools should use it, according to Mr. Cohen.

鈥淲hat we鈥檙e trying to reinforce is that every student who takes Algebra 2 should take the test in order for the states to meet their goal,鈥� he said.

Mr. Musick, who also served as a chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board, which set policy for NAEP, warns educators against giving the test to students without having it鈥攁t the very least鈥攁ffect students鈥� final grade in the course.

鈥淲hen you give students a test and there鈥檚 nothing at stake,鈥� he said, 鈥測ou鈥檙e not getting your students鈥� best effort.鈥�